Parade of Homes: Becky Benson Home

It may look like a single-home dwelling, but it's really a three-plex on the southwest side of Sidney, overlooking healthy acres of sugar beets. The house has multiple roof lines, engineered multi-colored stone with Hardy Plank siding in a taupe, plus wood staircases and handrails at each entrance of each home.

Investment Property 101=Rentals Are A Good Investment

Becky Benson, Sidney, raises three boys in her newly constructed three-plex investment property, and she now has a lower mortgage payment than she ever had before. Now that's smart living! When Becky sold her home in Billings, she bought low and sold high. She was able to do that a second time before the boom hit in Sidney recently - "I bought low and sold high again," she said. "God was with me, and now I hardly have a mortgage payment."

You've got to be ready for the boys and all of their friends at any time of the day, and that's just the way Becky wants it - kid-friendly all the time. "This is how I want my home," Becky says, "the boys and their friends love to be here, and that makes me happy!"

Becky's open-concept home plans were found on the Internet, and she had to look through lots of plans before she found something that would work for her. As most mothers do, Becky spends so much of her time in the kitchen. She can see up the stairs to the game room, but also into the living room where most of the TV shows are watched by her boys and their friends. "I chose the colors of the paint, but Creative Solutions had to help me with my cabinet choice and countertops," she said. "Teresa (Benson) is my sister, and she knows what I like and what I won't like. Brenda and Teresa just figured it out and I loved what they came up with."

Creative Solutions designed a custom kitchen to accommodate a smaller layout. The kitchen is complete with a peninsula and seating, built-in microwave, refrigerator, dishwasher - all from Sears, and include Becky's favorite appliances; the over-the-range hood and 42-inch gas stove and oven. "I use the warm and hold feature in the oven all the time," Becky said. "I make dinner and the boys eat when they get home. The food is on plates and ready to go!" There is also a dining room table to the side of the kitchen.

Becky believes the knotty alder cabinets with the distressed Heavy Heirloom finish will be the most talked-about feature in her kitchen. "They are gorgeous," she said. "My floors are hand scraped engineered hardwood in a walnut finish. Low gloss floors are more kid and pet friendly." Becky wanted to have plenty of wood throughout her home creating even more richness. "I'm not a frilly person. I have 3 boys in the house too," she said. For her countertops she chose a laminate that was the look of granite. It's a picture of an actual slab of granite. "I wanted the look of more high end stuff, but I didn't want to put out the price."

The corner of the living room features an engineered stone fireplace, adorned with flatscreen above. Becky's circular couch is always crowded with boys and snacks. She also has a small desk for the laptop in this space. The front door faces out the living room, overlooking the landscaping that will be completed next spring.

One has two ways in which to journey if staying inside the house - down the hallway to Becky's master bedroom and bathroom, which features a walk-in closet from Creative Solutions using the Lifespan Closet Systems (closet is complete with infrared sauna) and in the bathroom - a two-vanity, two sink area and large walk-in shower. Escaping yet further down the hallway will take one to the guest bathroom, out to the 2-car garage, or to make your way downstairs (which hasn't been completed yet - but will house a family room, two more bedrooms, laundry room and bathroom.) The other space in Becky's home is the upstairs level - beware of the boys'!

Walk up the stairs to see how the boys live in the man cave. They have their own projector screen in which to play all those great games and watch movies. Walk through the projector room to check out the bedrooms, which include separate vanities for each of the three boys, a common urinal, and a Jack and Jill bathroom, which has the toilet and shower/tub area. The urinal was a "must-have" for Becky (or her 3 boys), along with the laundry chute in that upper level.

Becky has a passion for the outdoors which includes gardening and landscaping. She has chosen to complete her outdoor projects herself to include underground sprinklers, a large garden area, a fenced dog area with convenient dog door, and a grand front entrance to the home. She realizes these projects can take time to complete but looks forward to her "therapeutic time" in her yard.

Would she do anything differently in her newly constructed three-plex home? "I don't think so. I don't have everything I still want, but again, it's a work in progress," Becky said.

Becky found her contractor through Ray Johnson, who suggested Doug Monforton. "Doug is very good at what he does," she said. "He really listened to my needs." She found her home plans by spending many hours on the internet looking at sites with home plans. Her search for duplex/triplex style layouts turned up many cookie cutter plans that didn't appeal to her. She used the filters on the housedesigners.com to find the perfect plan to fit her needs.

Many people have wanted to see Becky's place, and some are looking at it as an investment as she did. Becky believes in the Boys and Girls Club of Richland County, which is the main reason for agreeing to show her home in the Parade of Homes. "We need positive places and safe places for our kids," she said. "Richland County has that in the club here."

Brenda Larson says, "We really wanted Becky to hop on board with us for this project because her home doesn't look like a multi-family home, and because Becky really is a great mom who enjoys her boys and their friends in her home. The kids are always welcome here and it's a kid-friendly atmosphere!"